Thread by @jeff_foust

Tuned in to AvWeek webinar with former NASA administrators. Charlies Bolden has some frank words on commercial crew, arguing that had Boeing not gotten involved in the program, Congress would never have agreed to fund it. [Boeing was involved from the very first CCDev awards.]

Bolden adds that a business case for commercial human spaceflight is “hard to make” even now [he’s an adviser to a company, Axiom Space, that hopes it can be closed.]

Dan Goldin, meanwhile, is worried that China’s space program is moving at “the speed of light” and NASA will “fall way behind” at current rate. Advocates for human exploration beyond Earth orbit, including using nuclear propulsion.

Both Bolden and Sean O’Keefe agree with Goldin on the need for nuclear propulsion (and yes, O’Keefe does bring up Project Prometheus, the nuclear propulsion initiative in his time at NASA.)

Goldin, on US-China relations, recounts a meeting where the Chinese asked to join the ISS; he told them “respectfully” they needed to join the Missile Technology Control Regime first.

O’Keefe: “I’d rather have a root canal than ever testify [before Congress] again.”

Goldin explaining his opposition to Dennis Tito’s 2001 flight to the ISS by claiming he worried it would interfere with the installation of the Canadarm2 on the station. “I used profanities” in a call with Russia’s Yuri Koptev about it.

Bolden: okay for NASA to be an anchor tenant for commercial spaceflight companies, but not the only one. Mentions that “commercial ideologues were dominant” in space policy early in the Obama Administration.

Both Goldin and Bolden (assigned to NASA HQ at the time) recount the 216-215 House vote in 1993 on the ISS where the late Rep. John Lewis cast the deciding vote. “The future of America’s space program is in your hands,” Goldin recalls telling Lewis just before he voted.

Bolden says he’s still holding out hope that ISS will some day win a Nobel Peace Prize.

“Amen, Charlie!” Goldin says as the webinar concludes.